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2010 Toy Drive Recap – Where do the toys go?
By Matthew Dobberpuhl | December 30, 2010
Many people often wonder what happens to the toys that they leave in the Spark of Love cardboard boxes placed throughout the city during the Christmas season. Where do they go? Will my donation make it to a needy child? Am I really making a difference?
Every toy that is placed in one of these boxes or is dropped off at a Long Beach Fire Station is picked up and taken to the LBFD Toy Warehouse. There the toys are sorted and placed on shelves so that they may be given to a boy or girl of the appropriate age.
The task of sorting through the countless requests and trying to determine how best to distribute the toys that have been donated is monumental. Volunteer “elves” work tirelessly at the warehouse to ensure that no request is left unanswered.
It’s a very big job trying to sort through all the requests and match the right child with the right toy. Our elves pack up boxes and bags and deliver them to needy families and churches in the area that have asked for help. Toys are also delivered during events held annually at the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Reef Restaurant, and during the Code 3 Toy Drive. A total of 521 children and 27 large groups such as Homes for Battered Women and the Boy and Girls Club were given toys this year.
In these tough economic times we have seen a dramatic surge in requests for toys. This is where YOU can make a difference. No donation is too small. Every toy makes a difference in the life of a needy child. Please consider joining the cause next year by helping out in some way.
Special thanks to all those that helped make this Christmas a little merrier for the disadvantaged children in our community.
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